Al Bhuddies
by Corrupt Innocence
Summary: A Rikku and Nhadala fiction written for the Pairing Challenge! Rikku has a fallout with Gippal that changes her perspective on things. NR. R


**Al Bhuddies**

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**Author's note: This is a little piece I knocked up in a couple of hours for the Pairing Game! I quite like it, but it is up to you I guess. If you're not into Female/Female, however mild, then this isn't for you. Hope you enjoy! Also, the Al Bhed dialogue has been written with names untranslated to make your life easier. Feel free to R&R. I'm a feedback whore! . - CI**

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I guess I owe you an explanation, huh? It was one of those rare and unbearably humid days at the Al Bhed camp on Bikanel Island, when I made my mistake. Heat is one thing for an Al Bhed to deal with, but humidity? We're used to being hot, but muggy and sticky is a bit much for us... Well, that's the best excuse I have at the moment. Actually I'd had another fight with Gippal that night about something or whatever. We'd been on edge for a few weeks now and I guess the weather was the perfect excuse for Gippal too.

That night we'd taken 'Hanky-Panky' as far as the weather would let us and we lay around half clothed. It was pretty close to the way we would normally end a day, until Gippal sat up on his elbows and looked at me a little strangely.

_"E muja oui... Neggi."_

Don't get me wrong, it's not like Gippal and I suffered from a lack of expression or anything, but... Well, I have to say that I was at least a little curious. I pulled myself up onto my elbows and smirked.

"_E ghuf."_

Gippal ruffled my hair to 'avenge' my use of the plastic superiority that I brought up every now and again, just to annoy him.

_"Famm, famm, famm... Oui yna y luhvetahd uha, oui yna." _

I giggled quietly and nuzzled up to Gippal's neck.

_"Ur oui ryt paddan pameaja ed caqo..."_

When Gippal reacted by gently pulling me into his arms and stroking my hair instead of, well, you know, I should have known that something big was about to happen. Hindsight is a bitch sometimes... Anyway, we lay like that for a few minutes until Gippal took my chin in his hand and turned my face towards him. Something big? Hoo boy...

_"Neggi... E muja oui. Yht E.."_ He shifted a little awkwardly _"E fyhd oui du pa so feva... Femm oui synno sa?"_

You're going to think that I'm such a jerk, but at the time I wasn't thinking about how much I loved Gippal or how great our life could have been... I was thinking about how I'd been seeing Gippal unofficially since I was sixteen and officially for almost a year and my father didn't know. Here I was just sitting there, with the love of my life and I was too scared to tell my father. And Gippal? He just sat there with this stupid, clumsy, gorgeous sprite of a smile on his face... I guess I thought that I would say yes, but after a minute or so I still hadn't said anything and Gippal's fragile smile crumbled a little.

"Y-you do want to marry me, don't you?" He dropped our native language, actually trembling visibly. It was such a horrible misinterpretation that I panicked. Maybe that's why I didn't think about how I would get myself out of the mess and successfully engaged. I clutched at Gippal's wrist.

"I do! I do want to marry you! It's just..."

He inhaled sharply. "It's just what?" Oops.

What could I say? 'Nothing' would be suspicious and any lie I could have made up would only be another broken fuse in the Machina. I decided to chance it... Mistake...

"Gippal, I do want to marry you... It's just that," I paused and bit my lip, "Cid doesn't know about us yet."

Silence. It was heartbreaking to watch that beautiful smile melt off his face to be replaced by something between rage, dismay and a terrible blankness... I wish he'd yelled. The choked quietness was too horrible to bear.

"Gippal?"

Nothing.

"Gippal... Please..." It really was too much. Tears started poring down my face and I reached up to touch his face, barely able to talk myself. "G-Gippal, please, I'm sorry! Yell at me or hit me or whatever, just don't sit there saying nothing... Please Gippal!"

He slapped my hand away, contemptuously, as if I was a fly.

"Tell me what I'm supposed to say." So very quiet. There was nothing I could say to that...

"Tell me... What am I supposed to say? Huh? HUH?!" Gippal pushed me off his lap and got up, rummaging around on the floor for his clothes. "Why doesn't he know?" Gippal roughly pulled on his trousers. "Maybe you're ashamed of me... Is that it?!" He nearly tore his shirt as he pulled it on. "For Fayth's sake Rikku, You've practically made a career of disobeying your father! He's always forgiven you..." Then there was the sound of buckles and boots filling the silence. I didn't have any defence for myself, so I said the only thing I could think of.

"I was going to tell him, I swear..."

Gippal tried hard to smirk through the tears he was desperately holding back. "Oh _of course_ you were. When Rikku?! When he gets a grandchild, maybe? Would that be a good enough reason?"

He slid on his gloves and stormed out of my room. He only paused once to turn around and tell me it was over. I sat there in my bed with a tear stained face and a runny nose, while crying like an idiot. That's when she walked in.

It was the strangest experience. I'd never ever been interested in another girl before then. I mean never! One moment I was lying in bed, bawling over Gippal and the next? She must have heard us arguing or something... She sat down beside me and started stroking my back and whispering my name comfortingly. I leaned on her shoulder, still crying like an idiot. I think I liked it... I'm not sure, but when the innocent reassurance turned into a kind of subtly sexual massage, I didn't do a thing to stop it. All of a sudden I didn't care that I was in my panties or that I'd almost slept with Gippal less than half an hour earlier. It seems like she didn't have any doubts or reasoning either. I turned around to face her and before I knew what I was doing I'd pressed my lips against hers and sat myself firmly in her lap. After a second of initial surprise, she responded and soon after we were a huge tangle of limbs, tongues, sheets and sun bleached hair. Yep, you guessed 'er Chester.

I bet you're looking at this now and being absolutely shocked. What's it like, you ask? Well it's different to how it was with Gippal, but that's to be expected... Boy people and Girl people aren't the same, you know? Anyhow, The morning after, I woke up and was terrified. I was in the nip, with a beautiful girl and... I don't know. Maybe I was just scared that it hadn't meant anything. You might say I look like the kinda girl who doesn't have a problem with 'sharing', but that's not me... It turns out that I didn't have to worry. She turned to me, with her beautiful green eyes and snuggled up against me, assuring me there was nothing insignificant about what had happened. And then she kissed me again.

Well that's why I haven't seen you guys much lately... And that's why I'm writing this letter to let you know that I'm leaving the Gullwings. Don't cry Yunie. I'll always be around for you. You know that... You also, Paine. I have a billion respect points for you. It's been a whole month today. Can you believe it?! I don't either, but all I have to do for a reality check is to look at my bed, where she's still sleeping. Later today, we're meeting pops for lunch. I'm going to tell him that I have someone special in my life. It's going to be a shock to his system for sure, with me dating an older woman and all... Sometimes I still think about Gippal and what could have been, but hey! Don't worry about us! Nhadala and I are happy. That's what's important, right? If that night was a mistake, It was the best one I ever made. I promise!

Love,

Rikku XOXO.


End file.
